I don’t think anyone can speak French. Many Vietnamese members of the government today are educated in the West. Well some in Russia but no longer in China. For instance the current long served foreign minister Phạm Bình Minh. After graduation in Vietnam he went to United States for further education. He received the Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at Fletcher School.
He is said the most hated Vietnamese in China, because Minh is the one that pushes Vietnam opening to the West.
He is the architect of Vietnam foreign policy.
If one does not know: Vietnam is probably the first and only country in the world that has a foreign office, occupied with high educated ranks, only to think how to interact with China. That is history.
In fact, for hundreds if not thousands of years Vietnam foreign policy is very focused on China, nowadays the previous Middle Kingdom is seen as important as the kingdom of Netherlands. E.i. not much relevant.